


Keep Me Yours (And I'll Keep You Mine)

by wallstracktwo



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Suspected Cheating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-31 00:04:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21436903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wallstracktwo/pseuds/wallstracktwo
Summary: 49. “It has been months when I found a ring on your nightstand/laundry and I didn’t know that it was for safekeeping for your friend. I’ve been waiting and you still haven’t proposed to me. Are you cheating? Did you give the ring to someone else? I’ve been giving you signals that I’m ready to get married! I have been having a bi-monthly manicure so I can have cute nails when I take photos of my ring!!!”
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 11
Kudos: 310
Collections: 28 Proposals Fic Fest





	Keep Me Yours (And I'll Keep You Mine)

**Author's Note:**

> To the original prompter - I added my own twist on your prompt, hopefully I did it justice.
> 
> Dear Anna - Thank you for beta'ing, for cheerleading, for everything!
> 
> Side note - In the USA, President's Day is celebrated after Valentine's Day, but for storyline purposes, I switched it to before.
> 
> I own nothing except the words (and mistakes) written below.
> 
> Please do not repost this anywhere. I am not allowing for any reposts or translations. Thank you for understanding.
> 
> Without further ado...
> 
> Enjoy!

“Niall! Niall! Open up! It’s gone! I know you’re in there. C’mon open up!” Louis’ knocking intensified, becoming more of a consistent pounding. “C’mon Niall, this is important, it’s gone. It’s gone and I am _ seriously _ freaking out right now. I need you. _ Please _ open up. Please.”

The bedroom door swung open, revealing a tall fit man clad only in a pair of sweatpants that were hanging low on his hips. His brown hair was sticking up in every single direction and he had a crease from his pillow on the side of his cheek. He began rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands, trying to force them open.

“What the _ fuck _ Louis? I have to be at work in two fucking hours and I really need my sleep. Last night’s shift was horr -”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I know that your sleep is important, but this? Niall, _ this _ is a god damn mother fuckin’ emergency! You know I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t.” Louis Tomlinson turned on his heels, storming off towards the kitchen, throwing his hands into the air as he continued ranting and raving. “It’s gone! The box is gone! Gone Niall, _ gone _ ! As in _ not _ there anymore. As in it’s been _ moved _ . As in I can’t find it _ anywhere. _ Do you even _ know _ what this means? Seriously, _ do _ you?”

Niall sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he would not be getting the much-needed two more hours of sleep that his body had been begging for, as his best friend was currently having a breakdown of epic proportions in his kitchen. “Yes Louis. I _ know _ . I’ve only been hearing about it every single day for the past _ three _months. Pretty sure I know what it means.”

After Louis had discovered the item in question had gone missing, he knew that he would need to freak out properly - with his very best friend. He had hesitated for all of about two minutes before getting into his car and driving across town because he knew that while his emergency was in fact extremely important, Niall’s sleep was also in fact extremely important to him given the nature of his job. 

As a charge nurse who worked the overnight shift in the emergency room at Phelps Memorial Hospital in a town called Sleepy Hollow, about forty-five minutes north of New York City, Niall Horan treasured every single second of shut eye that he was able to get. 

That being said, however, Niall was also Louis’ very best friend and as such, he knew he needed to be available 24/7 for when _ his _emergencies arose - such as the one he was currently having in the middle of Niall’s kitchen.

Louis and Niall had been friends for the past five years, having met during their senior year at Pace University, a private college not too far from where they were currently standing. 

After celebrating his sister’s birthday at his mother’s house, Louis had been driving back home in the dark on a busy highway when a deer ran out in front of his car. He swerved to try and avoid it, hitting the guard rail that separated the northbound lanes from the southbound ones.

He was taken to the emergency room at Phelps complaining that his wrist was hurting and possibly fractured or broken.

Niall had been the nurse intern on call that night and had been assigned to treat Louis’ injuries. X-rays confirmed that Louis’ left wrist was in fact broken and an orthopedist was called to apply a cast. Louis left the ER with Niall's number and the promise of a guy's night out.

After graduation, the two friends decided to rent an apartment and move in together. They were able to find one close to the hospital where Niall had interned and was now working at and the high school where Louis had just been hired. 

He had applied for the open English teacher position at Pleasantville High School, in the town of the same name. He had loved living in the area during his college years and was ecstatic at the prospect of being able to stay and live in Pleasantville - especially with his best friend by his side and his family not too far away in a town named Patterson which was close to the New York/Connecticut border.

They had lived with one another up until nine months ago when Louis had moved out and in with Harry, his boyfriend of the past two years.

Making the decision to move out of the apartment he shared with Niall had been a difficult one. What if he and Harry broke up? Would Niall let him move back in? What if Niall found a new roommate or a girlfriend and Louis was no longer welcome back? He loved Niall and they got along so well - their living situation was ideal and it worked. On the other hand, he also loved Harry and wanted to start to build their life together.

He had absolutely no reason to think that he and Harry wouldn’t last forever, but Louis had always been just a little insecure. In his looks - his ass was a little too jiggly and his tiny love handles peeked out over the waistband of his pants. In his talent as a teacher - he expected a lot from his students, they were in high school now and he felt that their work should be reflective of that. In his relationships - past boyfriends had always made comments about Louis being boring - especially in the bedroom. How long until Harry began to think the same thing? How long until he grew bored of Louis as well?

Granted their sex life was amazing - Harry was patient and understanding as they explored what they both liked, what they didn’t like and what was off-limits.

And they had been together for nearly two years, surely if Harry was getting bored with Louis there would be some sort of indication, right? None of Louis’ previous relationships had ever made it past the eight month mark, so celebrating two years with Harry had been amazing, remarkable and Louis knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Harry. He didn’t have any indication that Harry felt differently.

And they had such a good, open relationship that Louis knew Harry would come to him with any concerns he may have.

Even still, Niall had reassured Louis that he could move back in at any time and had insisted that Louis keep his key and use it whenever he wanted. 

And so Louis did, using it on several different occasions to bring beer and pizza over and hang out with Niall. Or using it for emergencies like the one he was currently having this afternoon when he needed Niall to talk him down from the edge of the cliff he was teetering on.

Niall leaned against the doorway of the kitchen, crossing his arms across his chest as he watched Louis open the fridge and inspect its contents, shutting the door for a brief few seconds only to open it back up again - as though something more appealing would have miraculously appeared in that brief time period. 

“Ok, first of all breathe. What exactly do you mean by gone? Do you mean gone _ gone? _ Like, this is it...it’s finally go time?” 

He shut the door to the refrigerator, leaving his hand on the handle, turning his attention to Niall. “I hope so! I mean I think it might be. Like why else would Harry have moved it? I’ve looked everywhere Niall - and I mean _ everywhere. _ And trust me, it is _ nowhere _to be found.” Louis pulled the door open again, bending over and rummaging through the inside for a moment before making a decision. He reached in, pulling out a bottle of beer, uncapping it and taking a long swig. He offered one to Niall, who declined, needing to have a clear and sober head not only for his upcoming shift at the hospital - but mainly for this conversation.

“Holy shit, Louis! This is huge! Like, _ huge! _” He sat down at one of the stools at the kitchen island and ran his fingers through his hair, attempting to tame its unruliness. “I need you to start from the beginning.”

Louis grabbed another beer before closing the refrigerator and walked over to the counter, standing on the opposite side of the island from Niall. He took another sip from the open bottle before placing them down. He took a deep breath and started from the beginning.

“Ok. So. I was looking for my white polo, you know, the sheer one that Harry is always borrowing?” Niall nodded as Louis continued, “It constantly winds up in his t-shirt drawer no matter how many times I put it back into mine. So I went looking for it, as usual. Anyway, that box has always, _ always _ been in the back left corner. Every single time I’ve gone into that drawer it’s been there - except for today. I found the shirt, but when I went to check for the box, it wasn’t there!”

He paused, reaching for the beer. “At first I thought Harry had moved it since I’m always rummaging through his drawers looking for his clothes to wear and I figured he didn’t want me to find it -”

Niall chuckled. “It’s a bit too late for that.”

After rolling his eyes, Louis went on. “_ Anyway. _He would have moved it weeks or even months ago if that was the case, right? Then I thought maybe he just put it in a different drawer, so I went searching through the rest of them but I couldn’t find it in any of the other drawers. So then I thought maybe he moved it to another part of the apartment.” 

Louis paused for a brief moment before continuing, moving his hand animatedly as he began rattling off all the places he had searched.

“So I started looking all over the place - in the junk drawer, in his shoes, in his office, under the bathroom sink. I even looked in the pockets of that ugly green jacket he has hanging in the hall closet even though he knows that I hate it and keep trying to convince him to get rid of, figuring that he thought I'd never think to look there. Niall, I tore that apartment apart looking everywhere. It’s gone.” 

He swallowed a mouthful of beer from the bottle as deep lines appeared on Niall’s forehead, a sign that he was trying to figure out where the box could have been moved to.

“So it’s not in the apartment as far as you can tell, right?” Louis nodded as he went on. “Maybe Harry brought it to work and decided to hide it there instead?”

“I just came from there,” Louis shook his head. “I searched his desk while he was in a meeting with a client. I went through his desk, his camera bags, even the dark room.”

Harry owned his own photography studio in the heart of town, in between a coffee shop and a bookstore. He mainly photographed weddings and engagements, but had recently began scheduling newborn photoshoots after several of the brides had requested his services for the babies.

Louis helped Harry out at the studio as much as he could during holiday breaks and summer vacation. He would organize receipts and invoices or balance the checkbook or even develop some pictures now that Harry had taught him how and he had gotten better at it.

Since it was President’s Day and schools were closed, Louis was at the studio helping Harry get the proofs from the wedding he photographed a few weeks ago ready to be sent off to the bride for her approval. Which meant he had full access to the studio and once he realized the box was missing from Harry’s dresser he needed it in order to conduct his search without raising any suspicions from Harry.

“Niall, what if this is_ it _?”

“Honestly? Sounds like it could be, Louis. He probably dropped it off at the jewelers to get the ring cleaned and polished up nice for you.” 

A smile broke out on Louis’ face. “You _ really _think so?”

Niall nodded, “I really do. I mean Valentine’s Day is next week and even though he knows how much you hate it and think it’s a money-making scam of a holiday, maybe he’s planning the ultimate proposal surprise.”

“Yeah...the ultimate proposal surprise.”

**~~~~~~~~~~**

Unfortunately for Louis, Valentine’s Day came and went without a proposal. Just like New Year’s had...and Christmas had before that...and Louis’ birthday had before that...and Thanksgiving had before that.

Louis had been expecting Harry to propose since he had discovered the small black velvet box three months ago, on Thanksgiving day.

Three months. 

Louis sighed as he looked up at the clock hanging on the wall of his classroom, it was getting late and he wanted to get home to Harry. He shut the top of his laptop and began gathering up the rest of the essays he needed to have graded by the end of the week. 

His mind kept wandering back to the missing box that he had continued to unsuccessfully look for for the past two weeks.

Maybe he had been mistaken. Maybe Harry had bought the ring and then changed his mind, deciding he wasn’t ready to marry Louis yet. Maybe that’s it...maybe he was getting cold feet. Or maybe he had decided that he didn’t want to be with Louis at all, was bored of Louis, just like the others.

Louis shook his head. No. Harry loved him, he made sure to tell Louis every single chance he got. Showed him every single chance he got. Told all of their family and friends how much Louis meant to him and how he couldn’t wait to be married to him.

But why then? Why buy an engagement ring but never propose? Granted the ring wasn’t even Louis’ style in the first place. It was a simple platinum band - no diamonds, no sparkles, not even an engraving on the inside of the band.

It was the complete opposite of what Louis wanted, almost as if Harry had bought it with someone else in mind.

So then what was taking him so long? Surely Harry had had multiple, various opportunities over the past few months to get down on one knee and ask Louis to marry him. 

There was the Thanksgiving dinner that they had hosted for both of their families. Or the romantic birthday dinner Harry had planned and cooked for him. Or the long weekend in New York City over New Year’s Eve where they had watched the ball drop. Or even two weeks ago when they had celebrated Valentine’s day - much to Louis’ chagrin. 

Louis picked up the pile the essays that his literature class had written on _ To Kill A Mockingbird _ and placed them into a folder, cramming it, alongside his laptop, into his already stuffed, worn out leather shoulder bag.

Maybe he should just bite the bullet and buy a ring for Harry instead. But no, he couldn’t do that to Harry. Harry had been adamant about the fact that _ he _wanted to be the one to propose to Louis. They had discussed it on numerous occasions and each time they seemed to be on the same page in regards to Harry proposing to him. 

And Louis secretly loved the idea of Harry professing his love for him. Maybe he would give a long speech about how much he loved Louis or maybe he’d recite a poem about wanting to wake up every day next to Louis or he’d do some sort of grand romantic gesture to show Louis just how much he meant to him.

Whatever he was planning to do, however he was planning to propose didn’t really matter too, too much to Louis - he just hoped it happened soon because his mind was starting to wander to dark places as to what was holding Harry up from asking.

Louis had to be missing something. 

But _ what? _

“Hey Louis.”

He turned to where the voice had come from and saw one of his fellow teachers, Zayn Malik, standing in the doorway. “Oh hi Zayn, how are you?” He stood up from his desk and pushed in his chair, throwing the bag onto his shoulder as he walked towards where the tall, thin art teacher stood.

“I’ve been pretty good actually. I was just heading out and saw you were still here so I thought I’d stop by and say hi.”

Louis smiled. “I’m glad you did.”

Zayn was a relatively new teacher to the high school, having been hired the previous September to replace the art teacher who had retired. Louis hadn’t really had many interactions with him and although they weren’t friends per se, they were friendly whenever they passed each other in the hall or saw each other in the teacher’s lounge or at a faculty meeting. 

Louis didn’t really know that much about Zayn other than he taught art and liked to wear band tees and jeans that were covered in holes and paint splotches rather than the button down shirts and dress pants that Louis enjoyed wearing to work. 

Zayn reached up and raked the fingers of his left hand through his hair and that’s when Louis saw it.

A ring. 

No.

Not just _ any _ ring. 

_ The _ring. 

_ His _ ring. 

On Zayn’s finger.

Glistening, sparkling, shining.

“Are you...have you been...did you get engaged?” Louis managed to get out while trying his best to keep his composure under control and his voice even.

Zayn held out his left hand, inspecting the ring as his face lit up. “Yeah. My boyfriend proposed last weekend.”

“Well...con...con...well congratulations.” Louis stuttered, unable to focus on anything except the piece of jewelry on Zayn’s finger. “I didn’t even know that you were seeing anyone.”

“Thanks. We’ve actually been together for a while, but we really like to keep our personal lives private. You’ve worked around high schoolers enough to know just how much they _ love _to gossip...I just didn’t want them gossiping about me or spreading rumors. So I tend to not talk about my personal life too much.” He laughed a little, turning his hand back and forth, the ring catching the light and creating rainbows on the wall. “But he’s wonderful and he really loves me and I just couldn’t imagine life without him or that adorable dimple of his.”

Louis could feel all of the blood drain from his face, probably from his entire body as he swallowed hard, blinking as Zayn’s words repeated over and over in his mind. 

Harry. _ His _Harry had an adorable dimple. 

Harry. _ His _ Harry was with Zayn. 

Harry. _ His _Harry had proposed to Zayn. 

With _ his _ring. 

This could not be happening. This simply could _ not _ be happening. He suddenly felt light headed, felt dizzy, felt like the walls were closing in on him, felt as though he was going to throw up all over his classroom.

“Wait. Did you say you got engaged this past weekend?”

“Yeah,” Zayn nodded, “he took me away on a romantic belated Valentine’s Day getaway to this amazing bed and breakfast a few towns over in Bedford.”

“Bedford?...as in Bedford Hills?”

“Yeah. Oh gosh, have you ever been there before? Louis, it is such a romantic place. Lots of hills and farms to explore, _ the _most adorable bed and breakfasts. And the shops! Goodness there are so many wonderful, unique shops. It’s such a sleepy little town. I’d never been before and had always wanted to go and so he planned out the entire weekend - just for us...just for me.”

Bedford Hills. 

Of all places, Bedford fucking Hills. 

Louis knew for a fact that Harry had been in Bedford Hills last weekend. He was supposedly photographing a wedding. But instead he was on a romantic getaway with another man, proposing to another man. 

Harry was in love with another man.

“Ready to head out?” Zayn asked, “we can walked out together.” 

“Umm...actually I just remembered I have one more thing to finish up before I leave so you go on without me and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Oh ok. Have a good night Louis.” Zayn smiled as he turned and began walking down the hallway.

Louis forced himself to smile back. “Yeah.”

He pulled his phone out and hit the number in his favorite contacts list. “I need to see you. Now.”

**~~~~~~~~~~**

“Louis, there’s got to be an explanation.”

“An explanation? You want a fucking explanation? I’ll fucking give you one - the man that I love...the man that I thought loved me...the man that I was planning to spend forever with proposed to someone else!” He drowned the shot in front of him, the alcohol burning his throat on the way down. He slammed the glass onto the bar, motioning the bartender to bring him another one. “Someone else, Niall! Someone else is wearing my mother fucking ring!”

“But Harry loves you Louis, everyone knows that, everyone can see that. We can all see how crazy he is about you. I just can’t believe that he would do something like this.”

“I can. Zayn is so pretty and funny and smart and then there’s me. Harry’s obviously bored of me. I knew that this would happen, I have the worst fucking luck. But…” he sighed, “but I thought Harry was different. I thought he loved me and wanted to spend his life with me.”

“He does.”

“Yeah, well, he's got a funny way of showing it seeing as how Zayn is wearing _ my _ fucking ring, Niall! Zayn had a romantic weekend getting _ my _ proposal from _ my _ fucking boyfriend. Or rather _ fucking _my boyfriend.” He downed the rest of his beer. 

“Louis.”

“Don’t ‘Louis’ me Niall. Just don’t. God, why does he have to be so pretty? And fit? I can’t compete with Zayn - even his name is exotic and sexy. Fuck, I bet he’s amazing in bed. He probably does all the things I won’t. No wonder Harry wants to marry him.”

“Look, you are getting way ahead of yourself. Have you even talked to Harry yet?”

“What’s there to talk about?”

“Louis. You have to give him a chance to explain. There has to be some kind of explanation. There just has to be. C’mon, let me take you home. You can sleep this off and talk to Harry in the morning.”

“I’m leaving for the training conference in the morning. Oh fuck,” realization hit Louis like a ton of bricks to the face, “Zayn is going. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I’m gonna have to hear all about his wonderful _ fiancé _for the next two days. Fuck.” He threw a $20 bill onto the bar and got down off the bar stool, stumbling a bit before Niall steadied him.

“I love you Niall. You’ll never leave me, right?”

Niall lead him to the front door. “Never.”

**~~~~~~~~~~**

By the time he had gotten home, Louis had sobered up a bit and the reality of the situation began sinking in.

Louis opened the bedroom door slowly, silently hoping that Harry was fast asleep and that he wouldn’t have to face him.

“Did you have fun with Niall? I made you up a plate, wasn’t sure if you had dinner.”

_ Fuck, _ Louis thought to himself as he crossed the threshold, stepping into the room that they had been sharing, the bed that they had been sharing for nine months. 

“I did. And thanks,” he replied softly as he watched Harry turn over in bed, reaching out for him. Everything in Louis screamed for him to turn and run in the opposite direction. This couldn’t be happening. Harry couldn’t be in love with someone else, he just couldn’t.

He and Harry were so good together, so compatible, so in love.

Or so he thought.

He took a deep breath, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t run. He loved Harry with every fiber of his being, had since their second date. So instead of running, he climbed into bed and crawled on top of Harry.

“Fuck me. Fuck me one last time.”

Harry’s brows furrowed, “one last time?”

Louis nodded, “before I leave tomorrow.” He leaned over and brought their lips together, tears forming in his eyes. “Fuck me before I leave you.”

He felt Harry’s hand cup his face, their kiss deepening, their tongues tangling as tears began slowly streaming down Louis’ face.

Harry must have noticed his tears because he began quietly consoling Louis. “Baby, it’ll be ok. You’re only going to be gone for a couple of days. You’ll be back before you know it.”

Louis nodded, unable to speak, letting Harry take the lead as he mapped out Louis’ body with his tongue.

**~~~~~~~~~~**

As the train pulled away from the station, Louis leaned his head back against the leather seat.

Where had it all gone wrong? 

When had he and Harry started to drift apart?

Maybe it had all started the day he first found the ring. Maybe he had cursed his relationship with Harry by stumbling across it and then continuing to seek it out every time he walked by the dresser. Maybe Thanksgiving day was the beginning of the end - he just hadn’t realized it until now.

He tried to think back to that day and what could have happened, what he could have done, what he could have said to push Harry away.

“Harry? Baby have you seen my white polo? You know...the sheer one?” Louis yelled from the bedroom.

“Look in my t-shirt drawer. I think it ended up back in there again,” Harry shouted back from the kitchen where he’d been preparing the side dishes for that afternoon’s Thanksgiving meal.

He and Harry had purchased their house six months prior and the only thing Harry requested after they moved in was to host their families for Thanksgiving.

Harry loved Thanksgiving and since Louis loved Harry the answer was simple - yes.

Louis didn’t seem to grasp how much work hosting Thanksgiving was and after peeling what he estimated as twenty-eight pounds of potatoes, he declared that he needed a break and had headed to the bedroom to plan his holiday outfit.

He opened Harry’s t-shirt drawer and began looking through it. After a few seconds his fingers brushed against something small and hard towards the back of the drawer. He moved a couple of shirts out of the way and pulled the box out to examine it.

He knew as soon as it came into view exactly what it was, he knew before opening it exactly what it was, but he still gasped as he unhinged the box. Of course he and Harry had talked about getting engaged and ultimately married but seeing the ring made it real. 

_ Really real. _

He was a bit disappointed as he took the ring out of the box and inspected it. It was beautiful - but simple. And Louis didn’t do simple.

“Find it ok?” He heard Harry call out.

“Umm...yeah. Yeah I found it all right.”

Louis was on edge the entire day, even more so after Harry excused himself to their bedroom. He expected him to drop to one knee at any moment in front of both of their families.

But he never did. 

Louis then began expecting a proposal from Harry every day. Of course he knew it was silly. Would Harry really propose while in the middle of an _ Iron Man _ movie marathon or while cooking chicken stir fry or while folding laundry? But that didn’t stop Louis from being ready at a moment’s notice.

He made sure he was always camera ready - his hair was constantly near perfection, not a strand out of place. He never left the house in sweats anymore, his clothes were always perfectly ironed, not a wrinkle in sight. He had even started getting manicures from the nail salon near the high school where he worked to insure that his nails were prim and proper for when the big moment happened.

Of course he was going to say ‘yes’ - everyone knew how much Louis loved Harry and in turn how much Harry loved Louis. And had from pretty much the moment they met.

Louis opened his eyes as the conductor called out the stop for Bedford Hills. His stomach churned a little bit as he imagined Harry and Zayn in the picturesque hamlet together - walking through the small rustic downtown area hand-in-hand, laying next to each other in a quaint bed and breakfast, exploring the hillside and farms. Everything that Harry should be doing with _ him, _not another man.

Zayn had said he and Harry had been together for a while, when and where did they meet? Why did Harry ask Louis to move in with him if he was seeing another man on the side? 

Or maybe...maybe Louis was the person on the side and Harry and Zayn were the actual couple?

_This could not be happening,_ he thought as he looked out of the window. He and Harry were so good together. They had been together for two years. Two fabulous, glorious, wonderful years.

He had met Harry at his colleague Mary’s wedding. Harry had been hired as the photographer and kept sneakily taking pictures of Louis. Each and every time Louis would catch him, Harry would give him a small smirk, his dimple showing.

After one too many gin and tonics, Louis used his liquid courage to approach Harry. They began flirting and by the end of the night, Louis had Harry’s phone number and a date for the following weekend.

Soon after that first date they had become inseparable, spending as much time getting to know each other as they possibly could.

Not only had they spent a lot of time together, so had their families. Holidays, birthdays, even some summer weekends their families would all gather together and enjoy each other’s company.

When Harry had asked Louis to move in with him, Harry’s mother had cried and began referring to Louis as her ‘bonus son.’

**~~~~~~~~~~**

Louis approached the modest brick house, knocking gently on the front door. It flung open, “Louis! Darling, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at that conference?”

As soon as Louis saw his mother standing in the doorway, he broke down, his suitcase and shoulder bag dropping to the ground.

“I...I…”

“Oh baby, what is it?” She wrapped her arms around him, his sobs becoming cries.

“Harry...Harry proposed.”

She pulled back, “What? When? Congratulations! That’s wonderful Louis! But I don’t understand why -”

“To someone else.”

**~~~~~~~~~~**

“First new message._ Beep.” _

“Louis? Please call me back? Mary called looking for you, she said you never made it to the conference. I’m really worried baby, please call me. I’m really freaking out, please. I love you. So much. Just call me, ok?”

“Next new message. _ Beep.” _

“Louis, baby, please, please call me. I am really worried. Baby, I love you, please call me.”

“End of messages.”

Louis disconnected from his voicemail, shutting his phone completely off before placing it on the night table next to him before turning over and closing his eyes. He let the tears soak the pillow underneath him. He heard the house phone ringing downstairs and his mother pick up.

“Harry, hi sweetie, I was just about to call you...yes Louis’ here...he’s fine, he’s upstairs sleeping...I’m not sure, he just showed up...I’m sure he’ll call you in a little while...oh sweetie, don’t cry, please don’t cry. I know you were worried, but he’s fine, probably just wasn’t feeling well and decided to come here instead of going to the conference or traveling all the way back home...I will, I’ll tell him. Ok, take care, bye.”

Louis heard her hang up the phone and then the sound of her footsteps approaching.

“Ready to tell me what’s going on?”

“Harry proposed to another man.”

She sighed, “I find that hard to believe. He loves you - more than anything. You should have heard him just now on the phone. He was worried sick.”

“He loves me? More than anything? Ha! Tell that to the man who’s currently wearing the ring he bought - for _ me.” _

He felt the bed dip behind him as his mother sat down, rubbing his back. “Louis. Harry loves you. He simply adores you and the ground you walk on. I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes. I’m sure there’s some logical explanation for all of this.”

He waited until his mother left and then bent down over the side of the bed, pulling his laptop out of his shoulder bag. There was only one way to get to the bottom of this.

He googled Zayn Malik.

**~~~~~~~~~~**

The first search result was a facebook link, so Louis clicked on it, Zayn’s profile page loading almost immediately.

Most of his posts were private but there was one that was public. It was a picture of what appeared to be Zayn and Harry’s fingers intertwined, the platinum band shining in the sunlight and the caption reading “I said yes!” Louis scrolled through the comments, mainly congratulations and well wishes. 

He stopped when he got to the comment from Harry - “You’re going to make such a handsome groom!”

Louis closed out the tab, the search page coming back into view. The second result was a link for a twitter account.

The page loaded and he began going through Zayn’s tweets. They were mainly political - urging people to call their congressmen and women, to have their voices be heard, to make sure they voted, to donate to worthy causes. There were some motivational tweets about not giving up, not letting people judge you, not allowing others to make you feel bad about what you enjoy doing, reading, watching or listening to. Several tweets were music recommendations and Louis couldn’t help but notice that they were several of the new bands that Harry had suggested he try listening to.

He clicked on the link which took him to Zayn’s followers. He saw that both he and Harry followed each other, but couldn’t seem to find any public interactions between them.

He was about to exit out of twitter when he saw a tweet Zayn tweeted to the owner of the bed and breakfast. He knew what his next step was going to be.

He chuckled to himself a little as he shoved the laptop back into its case - under any other circumstances he could picture himself actually being friends with Zayn. 

Maybe they’d eat lunch together in the teacher’s lounge - bitching about students being on their phones during class, complaining about grading deadlines or boring faculty meetings.

He could see them going to clubs to listen to the newest indie band or meeting up at the local brewery to sample their latest offering. Or even getting drunk and deciding last minute to get matching tattoos that only they would understand.

He was left wondering if that’s why Harry fell for Zayn - because he was so similar to Louis in so many ways.

He tried to unsuccessfully will himself to sleep. Thoughts of the man he loved with someone else plaguing him, causing him to toss and turn, making him question his entire relationship.

**~~~~~~~~~~**

Louis watched as the train began picking up speed, leaving him at a stop that wasn’t his final destination. 

There was a line of cars waiting at a taxi stand and he hailed the first one he approached, giving the driver the address he had gotten off of Google the night before.

“What brings you to Bedford Hills, business or pleasure?” The driver, who’s name Louis’ learned is Ted, asked.

“Umm, business I guess?” Louis responded, unsure of exactly how he would describe this trip.

“Aww, well next time you come through, I hope it’ll be for pleasure. Great town we have here.”

“Yeah, I hope so too.” He said, his voice a little shaky.

Louis was grateful when Ted gave up his line of questioning, silence falling upon the car as Louis stared out the window, watching the town pass by.

The car drove down a steep driveway and stopped in front of a beautiful two-story blue colonial house. There was a sign out front - “Mae’s Bed and Breakfast.”

Louis walked inside and was greeted by an elderly woman who introduced herself as Mae. He showed her Zayn’s picture that he had pulled up on his phone from the high school’s website.

“Yeah, last weekend.”

He showed the woman his home screen which was a selfie that he and Harry had taken at a Yankees game that they had gone to the previous summer.

“Was he with this man?”

“I think so.” She answered. “Yeah, I think I remember seeing them down by the docks at one point, maybe around sunset? I can’t be 100% certain because we were so busy. Valentine’s day, y’know?”

Louis simply nodded as he felt his last glimmer of hope slowly fade away. He wavered, his feet faltering a little as he reached out and grabbed the kitchen counter to steady himself.

“You ok? You look a little pale.”

Louis nodded. “Might be a touch of the flu. I should go so I don’t pass it on.”

He thanked her and made his way back out to Ted, who had been waiting for him at Louis’ request.

Back on the train, Louis thought back to the events of the past few days. The ring, the bed and breakfast, the photo. Everything led him to the same conclusion - he had no other choice but to break up with Harry.

It was something he never thought he’d have to do, he thought he was going to be with Harry forever. Had since their second date when Harry told him they were going to get married someday.

He and Harry had spent the afternoon at an amusement park, Louis had never laughed so much in his entire life. They had taken a walk along the boardwalk as the sun began to set, stopping to admire the vibrant colors and breathtaking view over the water.

Harry reached over and swept a few loose strands of Louis’ hair out of his face, his eyes falling to Louis’ lips.

“My eyes are up here.” Louis giggled as Harry’s mouth turned up into a smirk.

He rolled his eyes, bringing his hand to Louis’ cheek. “You wanna know something?” He lowered his voice and whispered, “I’m going to marry you someday.” He leaned in and brushed his lips against Louis’.

Louis knew from that moment that he would always love Harry, always want to be with him, always choose him.

Until he saw Zayn wearing his ring. 

Now he knew he had to protect his heart and end things with Harry, no matter how much it hurt.

**~~~~~~~~~~**

Louis stood on the front steps of their apartment for so long that his neighbors were probably wondering what the hell he was doing. 

He was actually putting off the inevitable for as long as he possibly could, postponing the fact that once he stepped inside his life would forever be changed.

He took in a deep breath as unlocked the door, picking up his suitcase and gently pushing it open. The front entry was dark, the only light coming from the small nightlight Louis had insisted on having in the hallway.

He paused in the entryway for a moment as he heard soft music coming from the living room.

He dropped his suitcase to the floor, toeing his shoes off and kicking them to the side. He tossed his keys on the small table to his left and heard Harry calling his name. “Lou? Is that you?”

“Yeah,” he replied softly, hoping Harry wouldn’t hear him, hoping he wouldn’t have to end things with Harry, hoping he could keep his heart from breaking any further. “It’s me.”

Harry came racing out of the kitchen, “Louis! Oh my god! Baby!” He threw his arms around Louis, pulling him close. “Where have you been? God I’ve been so worried about you!”

“Yeah…” Louis pulled away from Harry’s hug, “sure you were.”

“What’s...what’s that supposed to mean?” His face was overcome with confusion, his eyebrows furrowing, practically meeting in the middle. “What’s gotten into you? Of course I was worried about you. You didn’t show up at the conference, you didn’t call anyone. Mary was worried and you had me scared to death thinking that something bad had happ -”

“Just stop!” His yelling caught Harry off-guard, causing him to take a step back. “Just stop this whole stupid charade! I know, ok? I know. So just stop!”

“Stop what? What charade? Baby I honestly have no idea what you’re talk -”

“I _ know _ , Harry!” Louis’ voice started to crack. “So you can stop pretending that you're _ so _worried about me or that you even love me.”

“Whoa. Hold on.” Harry began to raise his voice. “First of all, I do love you. I love you with _ all _ of my heart. I have loved you since our second date so how _ dare _you even think other-”

“How _ dare _ I? How dare _ I? You’re _ the one who’s been cheating on _ me _ and _ you _have the nerve to -”

“What? Cheating? What the _ fuck _ are you talking about Louis? I’m not cheating on you!”

“Zayn! I’m talking about Zayn! And Bedford Hills. And the bed and breakfast…” his voice began breaking, tears forming in his eyes as he continued, “and the ring and the proposal.”

Harry reached out, wiping a tear from Louis’ cheek, “Baby. I am really not following you. I don’t understand why you’re so upset by Zayn getting engaged. I thought you’d be happy for him.”

“I would be happy for him - if he wasn’t engaged to _ you! _”

“Me?! I’m not engaged to Zayn! Louis. Baby. _ What _in the world -”

“The ring, Harry!” Louis interrupted, his hands flying up in frustration. “I know all about the ring! I found it on Thanksgiving when I was looking for my shirt and it’s _ always _ been in your drawer. I know it’s been there because I always looked for it and I tried it on and I would walk around the house with it on. And then two weeks ago it was gone and I thought you were _ finally _ going to propose to me. But then _ Zayn _ shows up after a romantic weekend away wearing _ my _ring! And so I know that you gave it to Zayn ok? I know that you proposed to him.”

“_ I _ didn’t give the ring to Zayn. I gave it to _ Liam _ so that _ he _ could give it to Zayn - when _ he _ proposed last weekend in Bedford Hills.”

“_ Liam? _ Liam, the guy who owns the coffee shop next to your studio? _ That _ Liam?” Louis asked.

“Yes, _ that _ Liam.” Harry answered. “I’ve been hiding the ring in my drawer for _ Liam. _ He was afraid that Zayn would find it so I suggested that I take it and hide it until he was ready to propose. It never occurred to me that you would find it and think...it’s not even your style Louis. I would have never bought something like that for you, you would have hated it.”

“Wait. I didn’t know that you and Liam were that close?”

Harry shrugged. “We’ve gotten to be friends over the past few months. I’ve been taking pictures of the shop for his website and in return he gives me free coffee. We were talking one day and he mentioned that he had been carrying around an engagement ring in his pocket because he was afraid his boyfriend was going to find it before he could propose. And that he was scared he was going to lose it since he had it in his pocket all the time. So I offered to hold onto it for him, until he was ready.”

“But what about Bedford Hills? You were there with Zayn?”

“And Liam.” Harry added, continuing. “I had mentioned to Liam that I was photographing a wedding in Bedford Hills and he told me that Zayn had always wanted to go and then he decided to plan the engagement for the same weekend so that I could photograph their engagement.”

“So you _ didn’t _propose to Zayn?”

“No! Of course not...Louis.” He said his name so soft, so gentle. Louis loved that voice. The reassuring, calm, protective voice that was filled with love. Harry took a step closer, reaching out and caressing his cheek. “I’m going to propose to only one man. I love only one man. I am going to spend the rest of my life with only one man,” his voice softened even more, “and I’m looking at him right now.”

Louis felt the damn break, felt the walls he had put up begin to crumble, sobs overtaking his body. “I thought you were cheating on me. I thought that...you didn’t...I thought you didn’t love me anymore.

“Baby. I would never cheat on you. And I could _ never _stop loving you.”

Harry began to get down on one knee. 

“No! Don’t you dare! You will _ not _ propose to me like this! My eyes are all puffy, my nose is red, I haven’t showered in two days and I don’t want to tell people that you only proposed to me after I accused you of cheating on me!” 

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” He stood back up. “You deserve a better proposal and I intend to give you one. Come here my sweet sugar plum.”

Louis couldn’t help but let out a small giggle, the tension in the room dissipating almost immediately.

He led Louis to the couch where they cuddled, holding on tight to each other, where they belonged. Louis laid his head on Harry’s chest, closing his eyes as he listened to his heart and breathing even out, lulling him to sleep. He fell asleep knowing that he was loved, that he was home.

**~~~~~~~~~~**

_ 4 months later… _

Louis finished applying the last of his favorite cucumber melon face mask, washing the remnants from his fingers, watching it flow down the sink walls and into the drain. 

He hummed along to the soft music that was playing in the bedroom as he reached for his glasses, putting them on carefully so he didn’t smudge the mask that had taken him so long to smooth on perfectly.

He looked at himself in the mirror, content that his relaxing night in was off to the perfect start. The last week of classes were always so stressful - students making up tests, handing in missing assignments, begging for extra credit in hopes of bringing their grades up. Louis had survived, had gotten all of his grades in and now had the next two months off to relax, to decompress and to hopefully begin planning his wedding.

It had taken them a while to get over the whole Zayn/cheating/ring mix-up. Louis remained a little suspicious until he and Harry met up with Liam and Zayn for drinks one night.

Louis could instantly see how much the other couple were in love, how happy they were together. As a result, all his doubts flew out of the window, so to speak and he and Zayn had actually become friends, even going to a local pub to hear a new up and coming band together. 

Once Louis and Harry were able to put the entire misunderstanding behind them, they were much happier and much stronger than ever before.

Louis had stopped looking high and low for any signs of an engagement ring, had stopped expecting Harry to drop to one knee at any given moment. He had the utmost faith in Harry and in their relationship and he knew that when the time was right, when Harry was ready that not only was the ring going to be perfect but the proposal was also going to be absolutely beautiful, utterly romantic and 100% Louis.

They had had a romantic dinner, Harry making one of Louis’ favorites before he insisted that Louis retreat to their bedroom and spend the rest of the evening relaxing and pampering himself as a reward for surviving the final week of the school year. 

And so he did. 

He had changed into his oldest, most comfortable pair of pajamas, had taken his contacts out and had started to apply the face mask.

Harry had cleaned up dinner, before calling out to Louis. “Baby, I have to make a quick run downtown to the studio. I forgot a camera lens for that wedding I’m doing tomorrow. I’ll be back soon, love you!”

Louis had yelled back “drive safely for me! Love you more!” before he heard the door slam, indicating that he was all alone in their apartment.

He stepped out into their bedroom, picking up his clothes and placing them into the laundry hamper. He straightened out the comforter on the bed and fluffed the pillows. He heard the front door open and close and looked at the clock on the nightstand, a puzzling look creeping onto his face - only several minutes had passed. Surely Harry couldn’t have come back so soon.

“Harry?” He called out into the quiet apartment. “Are you back already?”

“Yeah. I just remembered it's not at the studio, I looked there this afternoon." Harry was standing in the doorway of their bedroom. "Can you help me look for the 45mm lens? I can’t find it anywhere. I’ve looked here in the office and in the studio, but I can’t seem to find it. Please baby? I really need it for this weekend.”

“So much for relaxing,” Louis huffed before asking, “Did you leave it in your car?”

He shook his head. “No, I looked there too. It’s like it’s grown legs and walked off.”

Louis chuckled. “I doubt it, let’s go look in the office again.” He began walking down the hallway, stopping in the doorway leading to the living room.

“What? What’s all this?”

Harry took him by the hand and led him over to the couch. The living room was full of candles, Louis estimated about four dozen. And there were bouquets of flowers everywhere - all of Louis’ favorites. Sunflowers, tulips, roses but he especially loved all of the peonies around the room.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.” He said as Louis sat down on the couch. “I’ve known I’ve wanted to marry you since we stood on the boardwalk on our second date.” He got down on one knee in front of Louis, taking a ring out of his pocket.

“You asshole.” Louis began laughing. “I cannot believe you! Every single fucking day for three fucking months I made sure that I was camera ready, that I looked perfect almost around the clock because I thought you were gonna propose at any given moment. I made sure that my hair was always perfect, that my nails were always manicured and that my clothes were always ironed properly. And yet you’re choosing to propose to me like this?” He motioned to himself. “I’m in my goddamn pajamas for god’s sake, I don’t even have my contacts in and I have a puke green colored mask all over my face!”

“And do you want to know something? I think you look absolutely gorgeous. You look completely relaxed. You look totally at ease. You look undeniably happy. And _ that _ is how I wanted you to look when I asked you to spend the rest of your life with me. I didn’t want you to have your hair flawless or your clothes perfect, on high alert and tense and stressed out. I wanted you to be just like this - radiant and glowing and content. And I want you to be like this every day. But most importantly, _ I _want to be the one to make you this happy, to make you this relaxed, to make you feel this loved, as love as you’ve made me feel. I promised you on our second date that I was going to marry you and I intend to keep that promise, if you’ll let me. Louis...will you marry me?”

Louis clapped his hands over his mouth as tears began welling up in his eyes. He had been wishing and hoping and praying for this moment for so long and now here it was. The man that he loved more than anything in the entire world was on one knee asking him to spend the rest of their lives together. 

And Harry was right - although he’d never admit it out loud to anyone else, except his fiancé - this was the perfect proposal. 

This was romantic and silly and spontaneous - just like their relationship. They could have fun and be crazy, yet at the same time be profound and serious. 

And Louis didn’t need to have around the clock manicured nails or near-constant perfectly styled hair or continuously wrinkle-free clothes - he had Harry and that’s all that really mattered.


End file.
